A pink flamingo has forced the temporary closure of an airport runway.

The incident took place at Manchester Airport, where the bird had evaded capture by the wildlife control unit and police for more than four hours, Manchester Evening News reports.

The flamingo, who has been given the nickname Ringo, appeared briefly on Sunday night on runway two, but became a nuisance for the airport when it returned early on Monday morning.

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Staff and the wildlife control unit tried a variety of methods to move it - including driving a 4x4 vehicle close to it while setting off flares and playing loud music - but the bird remained on the airfield.

They eventually decided to wait for it to leave of its own accord as they did not want to harm it. The flamingo flew away at around lunchtime.

James Welsh, frontman for the English band Starsailor, tweeted on the day: "Flight 10 minutes late because of a flamingo on the loose. I kid you not. I'm flying from Manchester!"